“Today was the hardest stage so far,” the 27-year-old Peron said. “The breakaway went early– before the first climb– so the peloton we went easy until we reached the first ascent. After that, the pace was high, and we were constantly chasing the break of 11 riders.”

The group split on the race’s first categorized climb, with Peron emerging in a front group of approximately 60 riders. But as the race advanced, Team Novo Nordisk rider Corentin Cherhal was forced to abandon due to stomach issues. However, Sport Director Pavel Cherkasov Cherkasov is confident the young French rider can recover before next week’s Tour of China II.

“I saw our stagiaire Quentin Valognes among a group of riders,” Cherkasov also said. “He was fighting hard and eventually able to reach a larger group which included Gerd de Keijzer. And both were able to finish together. Andrea always stuck with the first bunch for the entire race. He rode very well, and even tried …read more